


The Grandma and the Wizard

by NaldEl



Category: Howl no Ugoku Shiro | Howl's Moving Castle, Howl's Moving Castle - All Media Types
Genre: Character Study, Emotions, F/M, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-04
Updated: 2017-10-21
Packaged: 2018-07-29 05:15:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 12,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7671511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NaldEl/pseuds/NaldEl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After ten years of looking for a cure for her curse Sophie has almost given up hope when the powerful wizard 'Horrible Howl' moves into an abandoned castle just outside the town of Market Chipping. Seeing her chance Sophie embarks on her own personal adventure filled with magic, fire demons and a lot of cleaning.</p><p>Mixed elements of both book and movie.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In which Sophie becomes horribly bored

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! A little story that has been spinning round in my head for some time. There will be some major differences to the book and movie. This is basically a "what if Sophie never found the Moving Castle" mixed with Beauty and the Beast. I hope you enjoy!

It was the rumors that first caught Sophie’s attention. Mothers whispering when they picked up their children at the nursery. “Have you heard? … They say he’s back … Yes, in that hideous castle over on the hill.” People in the markets looking over their shoulders. Wary looks exchanged between parents while they held their daughters' hands.

Indeed the name ‘Horrible Howl’ seemed to be on everyone’s lips since smoke had been sighted coming out of one of the abandoned castle’s chimneys. _Well at least my heart is safe_ thought Sophie as she saw off the last children and headed towards her rented apartment in the bustling town of Market Chipping. _After all, he only eats the hearts of pretty, young girls._ Having arrived at her temporary home, Sophie was immediately assaulted by her roommate Jane Ferrier who always seemed to be expertly informed regarding the latest gossip.

“Grandma Sophie!” she exclaimed as Sophie closed the door behind her. “You must have heard! Horrible Howl has returned! And they say his hunger for hearts is even more voracious than ever before!” Sophie, sighing at the young woman’s hysteria, simply answered “Jane dear, how many times must I tell you not to believe everything you hear. After all you don’t even know if it is the wizard Howl up there.” Her answer was rewarded with glare. “Of course you’re not worried! You’re heart isn’t the one in danger after all!” Cackling quietly under her breath Sophie murmured “You’re perfectly safe dear” And shuffled off to her room.

Things settled somewhat over the next few days, seeing as the castle’s occupants hadn’t made an appearance yet. The only sign of life was the ever present wisp of smoke escaping the chimney, much to Sophie’s disappointment. _And here I thought we would be getting some excitement._ Despite her age, Sophie's mind was still that of young girl and she longed for adventure in addition to feeling the frustration of ennui that caught up with her whenever she stayed in one place for too long. After she had been cursed ten years ago Sophie had fallen into a pattern of moving every few years, following her initial flight from home. To get by Sophie had tried every job imaginable, varying from a cleaning lady to a friendly witch’s assistant. Sophie’s first few years away from home had been consumed by her search of a way to break the curse, alas she could only take so much disappointment. The friendly witch had eventually noticed Sophie’s dilemma, caused by the fact that the curse forbade her of speaking of it, but had disappointed her greatly in saying that only the most powerful witches or wizards would have the ability to help her.

In some ways Sophie had benefited from her transformation into an old woman. She had finally escaped the boring inevitability of her former everyday life in the hatshop. She had seen more of Ingary than she had ever dreamed. This was what Sophie always told herself when thoughts of her family threatened to suffocate her mind. When she dared to think of what remained of her life, surely not all too much, as she was indeed quite old. Even the comfort of a healthy body that she had enjoyed in the beginning was waning as the aches and pains in her joints and bones had been steadily increasing over the past few years.

The only circumstance Sophie could escape the depression that hung over her head like a cloud was when she immersed herself in work. The crazy heap of children at the nursery always managed to cheer her up. In her free time Sophie pursued her lifelong passion for drawing. In some towns she even had the luxury of owning a garden, which always turned into a paradise of flowers under her careful care.

Some weeks later an especially horrible bought of aching had left Sophie in a foul mood. Profanities spun through her head the whole day. _Damm it all! I’ve had enough. It’s time to move on again, Sophie. If you stay here you’ll die of boredom!_ And so she began planning her departure, a task she had become rather proficient at.

The idea struck Sophie, seemingly at random when she overheard some young girls at the market the next day speculating about the wizard Howl’s strength. “I’ve heard he’s one of the mightiest wizards of our time! He was Sullivan’s apprentice after all!” After the idea had been planted in her head it didn’t take very much deliberation on Sophie’s part. Her life nowadays was very much based on her whims. _It’s decided then! Let’s go see if the Horrible Howl will want the heart of a shriveled old lady._


	2. In which Sophie meets a fire demon

Having packed the entirety of her belongings into her worn out travel bag, Sophie left the apartment. She had wrapped all of her affairs up a few days before and was now itching to be on her way. She began making her way out of town and in the general direction of the castle that was nestled in the hills above the town.

 _At least I’ll get some exercise_ Sophie thought as she eyed the winding path up the mountain. After hiking most of the morning Sophie took a break and began pondering what she would do when she arrived at the castle.  This was very typical for Sophie, her mother had always chided her to think before acting but once her mind was made up, there was indeed very little that could stop Sophie. This trait had only been enhanced in her old age, much to Sophie’s smug satisfaction

 _Maybe I’ll clean up a little_ Sophie thought _It will take some time for him to notice my curse anyhow. After all it took dear Mrs. Fairfax almost half a year to notice something was wrong. Will he even be willing to break my curse?_ Sophie hadn’t even thought of the possibility that Horrible Howl wouldn’t be interested in breaking her curse.  _It will work out, Sophie, it always does._ She reassured herself with a shrug.

It took most of the day to reach her destination, due to the fact that the path she was taking had a serpentine nature and wound its way almost all around the mountain.  By the time the castle came into view Sophie was huffing and puffing and her joints were creaking and aching.

The entrance consisted of a pair of sinister, dark double doors that loomed over Sophie as she stood in front of them. Hesitantly, she knocked. The sound echoed behind the doors and Sophie took a step back expectantly waiting for the doors to open. When nothing happened after a few minutes of waiting Sophie knocked once again, wondering how one could have overheard such a loud sound. Once again the doors stayed shut. Sophie stared up at the castle indignantly. “Ignoring me are you? What an impudent wizard!” She turned back to the doors and sniffed:  “What a way to treat a lady! You will open up now if you want to or not!” As the echo of her command faded one of the doors groaned and opened an inch. Satisfied Sophie opened the door. Who was it to stop her in her quest after all?

The corridor behind the door was dark. The air was moist and cold and as her eyes got used to the dim light Sophie caught sight of spider webs, dust and filth that seemed to cover the very walls. _It’s a complete mess! You would think a wizard capable of keeping his castle somewhat clean!_ The state of her surrounding did not improve in the least as Sophie took the stairs at the end of the corridor and entered what seemed to be a living room. Unable to comprehend the state of things Sophie could only exclaim “What a mess!” over and over as she explored the first floor of the mysterious castle.

One of the rooms adjoined to the living room appeared to be a kitchen. There was a large stone hearth with a fire crackling within. _This must be the source of the smoke coming out of the chimney_ Sophie thought.

With a noise of disgust she took in the piles of dirty dishes along with food scraps on the floor. There was a rickety table that was filled with all sorts of things that Sophie did not quite dare look at yet. As her keen gaze swept through the room once more, Sophie once gain noticed the fire flickering in the hearth. Something about it seemed odd. Nothing she could really pinpoint but it niggled her in a way that made her move closer to the hearth.

After a few minutes of hard scrutiny which made the fire flicker uneasily Sophie noticed what had bothered her. If she looked right she could make out a face in the flames. Cackling at her discovery Sophie claimed “Well! What do we have here?” The fire flickered even more and eventually responded “Listen lady, I don’t really know how you got here but you should go. It’s not the right place for crazy old witches.” Sophie cackled even louder at that. “So what are you? Horrible Howl’s kitchen slave?” The fire crackled in what could only be interpreted as an indignant manner “I am a powerful fire demon named Calcifer! And I am here because I want to be.” Fascinated Sophie leaned closer “A fire demon? Well, can you help me?” Calcifer eyes Sophie from head to toe. “Sorry lady, that’s one hell of a curse. I’m not sure if I can really help you.” Disappointed Sophie huffed “So much for an almighty fire demon. Can’t even get rid of a little curse can you?” Calcifer spluttered at the words and finally answered “Listen grandma! Your curse is almost as strong as Howls! And I’ve been trying to crack that one for years!”

That caught Sophie’s attention “The wizard Howl is cursed?” The fire demon eyed her suspiciously again and muttered to himself “Maybe she can…” In a louder voice he proposed “Alright lady, let’s make a deal. If you try and succeed in breaking Howls curse that I will have a go at yours.” Now it was Sophie’s turn to eye the demon suspiciously.  “How do I know this isn’t a trap?” Calcifer grinned at her and said “You’ll just have to trust me on this one.”

 _I was going to stay here anyway, might as well help_ Sophie thought. “Alright, it’s a deal” Sophie said. At that moment a boy burst into the room, staring at Sophie in a bewildered way “Who’s she?”


	3. In which Sophie opens a door

The boy had messy brown hair and clever hazel eyes. _An apprentice?_  Sophie wondered. Before Calcifer could answer Sophie announced “I am your new cleaning lady! Calcifer just hired me.” The boy glanced at the fire demon. “You hired a cleaning lady?” Calcifer glared at Sophie and groused “It would appear that I did. Why don’t you show her to the guestroom Markl?” The boy nervously looked at Sophie. “She isn’t another crazy witch is she?” Sophie let out a full throated cackle, immensely enjoying the boy’s nervousness. “You know I wouldn’t let anyone dangerous in. Though I’m not quite sure how she got in here in the first place.” 

“Through the door of course!” Sophie retorted, which only seemed to confuse Calcifer more.

Once Sophie had placed the entirety of her belongings in the quaint but dusty guest room Markl ran off mumbling something about work under his breath while casting her suspicious glances. _He seems to be a nice boy. Considering the fact that I simply walked in here without an invitation._  

As Sophie returned to the kitchen she wondered where the rest of the castle was and when she asked Calcifer as much he laughed at her in his hissing and spitting way. “Well you see” he drawled “It was a wizard who oversaw the construction of this place long ago. The man was so vain that he wanted everyone to think he lived in a pompous castle. It might look that way from the outside but the interior of this place is a lot smaller, still big enough mind you. When we came here every door was barred with complicated locking spells and Howl…” Calcifer’s face fell a little as he paused. “He did not deem it… necessary to open more doors than we have right now.”

Sophie pondered this statement for a while before inquiring how many rooms actually were available at the moment.

“Down here, there’s the kitchen, the guestroom, Markl’s room and a bathroom. Upstairs is Howl’s room, his study and a second bathroom.” Anticipating the next question, Calcifer continued “There are still two locked doors on this floor. As far as I can tell, since I run this place,” he added smugly, “one is big room which I would guess is supposed to be a living room. I don’t know what the other room was used for but it has a door that leads to the terrace.”

 _A terrace!_ Sophie marveled _That means there must also be a garden!_

Oblivious to Sophie’s revelation Calcifer continued his description of the house.  “Upstairs is another bedroom that’s locked and one very large room. It was probably used for parties and dancing back in the days.”

Still caught up in her idea Sophie asked “Is there a garden, Calcifer?” The fire demon rolled his eyes at her “Of course there is, lady. But the only way to get there is through the terrace which is behind a locked door.” Sophie cackled for the umpteenth time that day and crowed “Come on Calcifer! A door has never stopped this old lady!”

The fire demon eyes her wearily and then said “If you say so. Here, hold out your hand.” Sophie obeyed, nearly wriggling with excitement at the prospect of seeing the garden.

Much to Sophie’s surprise Calcifer hopped onto her open hand. He looked at her expectantly and told her to proceed. Shrugging, Sophie followed Calcifer’s instructions until she stood in front of the door that was directly across from her room.

Full of anticipation, Sophie tried the door handle only to find it locked. Calcifer gave her a withering I told you so look. “See. It’s locked.” Sophie harrumphed and told the door in a very firm tone of voice to open up. When she tried the door handle again, it was still locked. This elicited another sigh from Calcifer “Come on, lady. Just leave it be. Only Howl can open these doors.”

Sophie glared at the door, gave it a prompt kick and shouted “Now see here! You will not get the better of this old lady! If you don’t open up and let me see the garden I will throw Calcifer at you and burn you down!”

A few seconds later the door seemed to shiver and then sprung open obediently. Sophie huffed satisfied. Calcifer stared at her, eyes wide in disbelief “You’re a real bully, you know that?”

“What’s with all the racket?” Came Markl’s voice as he trotted down the hallway to see what was going on. When he saw the open door he looked around wildly. “H- how? Is master Howl back?”

Sophie made a little noise of disgust. _Not a shred of independence, the lot of them._ “Come on Markl, let’s go explore the garden.” With that Sophie opened the door and marched through, Calcifer sitting on her hand glumly.


	4. In which Sophie discovers the garden

The room was dark with only a few strips of light emanating from what Sophie guessed were boarded up windows. Holding Calcifer out in front of her, Sophie stepped into the room, Markl close on her heels. With Calcifer’s light Sophie navigated through the room which was full of bulky objects covered in linen cloth. _Probably furniture._ Sophie thought as she stepped over a rolled up rug.

“There’s the door!” Markl exclaimed, pointing at a dark rectangle in the wall in front of Sophie. With outstretched fingers Sophie felt long the outlines of the door. “It’s a glass door so it must be boarded up like the windows” she observed.

Thankfully the door opened to the inside so that Sophie was face to face with the wooden boards. “Step back, grandma!” Markl exclaimed.

“It’s Sophie.” Sophie sniffed but stepped back as the boy had said. Markl lifted his leg and kicked the boards. They made a squelching, cracking noise and more light could be seen. “Again!” Sophie cheered. She smiled at the excitement in Markl’s eyes as he kicked the boards again and again until it was possible to remove them and step outside.   

Once outside Sophie’s eyes needed a minute to adjust to the evening sun that was rather blinding. Before she could see properly she heard Markl’s shout of excitement and Calcifer exclaimed “Wow!”

Sophie blinked owlishly for a few more seconds until the scene before her came into focus. “Oh! It’s beautiful!” A sea of wild flowers spread before her. The woods that surrounded the castle encircled the yard giving it the impression of a meadow. Sophie could discern the beginning of a path that started at the end of the terrace but the surrounding flowers were so high that she quickly lost sight of it.

Markl ran around the terrace whooping with joy “Look at it all, Sophie!”

Sophie was nodding in approval while already making plans in her head. _It’s a little overgrown but I can work with this. It will be a paradise in no time._ Sophie then thought of the dusty rooms as well as the state of the kitchen. _House first Sophie! You can always work on the garden later._

The sun was orange and had almost dipped behind the tree line. Sophie lifted her face towards the warmth and felt a gentle breeze pass. “You ok, Sophie?” Calcifer asked from her still outstretched hand. “You know Calcifer, when you’re as old as me you learn to enjoy every day as it comes. After all you never know how many you have left. Calcifer looked up at her upon hearing the melancholy in her voice.

Before he could say anything Sophie called out “Markl! Let’s have dinner. We can explore more tomorrow when it’s lighter out.” As if to punctuate her sentence the sun dipped below the tree line at that very moment.

The three of them made their way back inside into the kitchen. Sophie sighed again when she saw the mess but simply set Calcifer back in the hearth and asked Markl where the plates were.

After clearing a corner of the overstuffed kitchen table Sophie and Markl made themselves comfortable and ate slices of bread with cheese.

“Where is the wizard Howl?” Sophie asked suddenly. Markl and Calcifer glanced at each other. “Howl…” Calcifer began, “he likes to stay out sometimes. He’ll come back eventually.” Sophie looked at Calcifer suspiciously at the evasive tone of his voice.

After Markl excused himself from the table Sophie voiced a question that had been bothering her “Calcifer, you never told me what Howl’s curse is.” The fire demon looked at her, clearly contemplating something. “He… To be honest Sophie it will be best if you see for yourself. But Sophie…” His gaze became sad. “I don’t know how long he can continue. You have to help.” Sophie’s voice adopted a gentle note when she answered. “It will all work out Calcifer, you’ll see.”

She bade the fire demon goodnight and fell into a deep sleep upon returning to her room.


	5. In which Sophie cleans and shops

The next morning was filled with action. Much to Sophie’s delight, the castles front door was magical. It had a knob with four different colors which acted as a portal of sorts. Depending on which color was turned up the door would open to different locations. Calcifer warned her away from the black color so she decided to go snooping later.

Conveniently, one door opened to the marketplace in Market Chipping. Sophie most certainly had to go shopping later.

After a simple breakfast of the last of the bread Sophie attacked the kitchen. She scrounged up some cleaning materials and got to work. Calcifer’s voice was a near constant nagging somewhere in the background. “Careful with that! ... Sophie not there! … That’s valuable you old hag! … Don’t get me wet!”

Sophie cheerfully ignored him and proceeded with her task. When Markl appeared from his room he watched with a fascinated kind of horror as Sophie continued with her cleaning spree. Once Sophie had gathered all of the trash that littered the kitchen he helped her dispose of it with a rather pinched look on his face.  

The next few hours were spent scrubbing and cleaning, dusting and washing.

By noon both Markl’s and Sophie’s stomachs were rumbling so Sophie made use of the portal door. When she asked Calcifer if he wanted to come he grumbled rather disappointedly that either Howl or himself had to be present in the castle for the protective wards und such to remain active. Shrugging Sophie grabbed an old basket with one hand and Markl with the other and marched off to the market.

Markl pretended to be absolutely bored by the whole affair but Sophie caught his eyes drinking in the market with the curiosity of a child. He even made some suggestions as to what food Sophie should buy. Much to the boy’s delight Sophie stopped at a stand that sold hot pies and bought two small ones to satisfy their hunger.  

Markl had brought a small purse which contained the ‘food money’. But when Sophie saw a stand with knitting equipment she searched in her pockets for her own meager savings. Stowing way the knitting needles and wool away in the basket Sophie looked up and saw Markl eyeing the model of a ship with gleaming eyes. It was very detailed. There were many sails and ropes and even miniature cannons attached.

On a whim, Sophie purchased the ship when Markl wandered off. The man who owned the stand wrapped it carefully and Sophie stowed the treasure away in her now full basket.

The two walked back to the door that led to the castle and Markl immediately began telling Calcifer what they had seen. Sophie took advantage of his distraction and snuck into his room, which much to her dismay was an absolute mess, to place the present on his bed. Not before folding his messed up blanket of course.

Upon returning to the kitchen Sophie stowed away her purchases and decided to have potatoes and the two fresh steaks she had bought for dinner. Markl was very enthusiastic about the whole affair. “Oh boy! When’s the last time we had a proper meal?” He helped Sophie peel the potatoes and fill a big pot full of water.

When Sophie approached Calcifer with the big pot in hand he looked at her somewhat defiantly and protested “Hey now! I’m an all powerful fire demon! Not a kitchen fire!” Sophie plopped the pot down on his head. “Hurry now Calcifer, dear, we haven’t got all day.” A muffled groan combined with a string of curse words could be heard from under the pot.

Markl snickered and mumbled something along the lines of “… force of nature…”

When the food was finished Markl and Sophie ate, chatting amiably with each other while Calcifer sulked in the hearth.

Sophie was laughing at something Markl had said when a deep voice came from the kitchen entrance “What a merry gathering.”


	6. In which Sophie meets the wizard Howl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howl finally makes an appearance! Thank you to the people who left Kudos <3 Enjoy!

_Dead_ was the first thought that came to Sophie’s mind as she stared at the wizard in shock. His eyes were lifeless, his expression a cruel smirk. He was leaning against the doorframe of the kitchen entrance observing them with dull watery eyes. _He looks as expressive as a dead fish!_

But it wasn’t only the wizard's face that Sophie gave a once over. He had shoulder length hair with a color that could only be described as dirty blond. His clothes looked worn and slightly too big on his lean frame.

 _He’s quite tall_ thought Sophie seeing that his head almost brushed the top of the door frame. All in all he was in quite the sorry state considering the fact that he was supposed to attract young girls to eat their hearts. _No girl with some semblance of a brain would ever trust him with her heart._

“Master Howl!” Markl exclaimed jumping up from his seat. “About time!” Calcifer remarked dryly from the hearth.

“Where were you master Howl? You’ve never been gone this long.” The boy babbled nervously. Sophie’s eyes which by the way were still excellent for her age, trained on the wizard trying to gauge his reaction which was to ignore the boy completely and turn his eerie gaze to Calcifer instead.

“Bath, Calcifer.” The wizard stated simply and walked away. “I’m not your slave!” Calcifer shouted angrily but if the wizard heard he didn’t deign to react in any way.

Markl who was still standing beside the table began shaking and looked at Sophie with watery eyes. Getting up she pulled the boy into an embrace, sighing as he sniffled into her dress. In the voice that Sophie usually used to calm the little children at the nursery, Sophie said “There, there. Why don’t you go to bed? Tomorrow it’ll be better, you’ll see.”

The boy took a shaky breath and looked up at Sophie. “You think?” He asked. Sophie nodded suddenly very glad that she had bought the young boy a gift. _That’ll cheer him up, Sophie. He’ll be chipper in no time. No thanks to that brat of a wizard._

Markl bade Sophie and Calcifer goodnight and was off to his room, leaving Sophie, Calcifer and a small pile of dishes.

Sighing, Sophie got to work. “He’s been like that ever since… an incident” Calcifer’s voice broke through Sophie’s thoughts and she looked over to the hearth. “You mean the fact that he shows as much emotion as a rock or his unkempt appearance?” Sophie asked, sarcasm lacing her tone. “His emotional state.” Calcifer answered nodding his head gravely, or at least Sophie thought he was nodding since his flames were moving back and forth rather oddly.

“Well, Calcifer, are you going to tell me the story or not?” she asked, drying of a pan and replacing it to its designated spot.

Calcifer made an indecisive face, as much a fire demon can make an indecisive face and after a minute of contemplation, began talking. “About a year ago, Howl set his eyes on a young witch. She was beautiful and very talented. Markl and I hoped that maybe Howl had finally found what he was looking for… But as always as soon as the girl fell in love with him he lost interest. It was all a game for him you see. Every time Howl would be head over heels for a girl but only the chase was interesting for him. Once a girl submitted the game was over.

Naturally, the same thing happened with the young witch. But instead of crying and begging like the others usually do, she got angry and bitter. Her resentment was so great that she turned to the dark arts and placed a curse upon Howl.

She wanted to take away everything that brought Howl joy. Ever since then he has been barely capable of even the most basic of emotions. He started disappearing. First only a night and then longer.

Sophie, he is losing himself. If nothing is done everything that is left of what Howl once was will disappear.”

Sophie pondered these words. _A grave situation indeed. It seems that I must help the wizard Howl before he will help me._ She looked at Calcifer. “Well, how do you expect me to break the curse?”

The fire demon replied “Markl and I have tried every spell we could possibly think of, so we suspect that the solution h to be non-magical. For instance something so insistent, that Howl will have to react to it.” He looked at her expectantly.

“You want me to annoy the curse out of Howl.” Sophie stated incredulously.

“You have been doing quite the number on me and Markl.” Sophie sighed. _What have I gotten myself into?_  


	7. In which Sophie has a revelation

Sophie woke the next day full of purpose. She was going to get a reaction out of Howl, no matter how small.

To her disappointment, Howl didn’t come down for breakfast which would have been her first chance to put her plan into action. When she asked Calcifer about it he answered that Howl usually ate very little and almost never showed up for breakfast.

Sophie huffed to herself _He’s a slithery one, that’s for sure._ But seeing that Sophie was an old lady that didn’t take no for an answer, she shrugged it off as a minor setback and continued scheming.

The first victim on her daily list of things to be bullied was the room that led to the terrace. Sophie hollered as loudly as she could for Markl and cackled to herself afterwards _Let’s see if a wizard can sleep through that!_

Sadly the wizard didn’t make an appearance. Markl sleepily wandered over and asked what Sophie could possibly want so early in the morning.

“Today’s youth!” Sophie exclaimed exasperated, “nothing but a pile of good for nothing, lazy louts!”

Markl seemed a little insulted at that “I’ll help you! Gosh, you’re such a pushy old lady.” The two of them spent the rest of the day uncovering and cleaning furniture, hanging up pictures, sweeping and scrubbing until they were completely exhausted. Much to Sophie’s delight, they had uncovered an easel while rummaging through the furniture.

 _I could start painting again!_ She thought happily to herself, remembering a shop in town that sold paints and canvasses.

Once the wood that boarded up the windows had been removed the whole room was illuminated with sunlight. Markl looked around excitedly.

“It’s like art room!” he exclaimed, looking t the now tidy room. Sophie nodded in agreement. _It could use some flowers though._ _A bit too dreary for my taste._

She decided to go snooping around for a vase later. Seeing as there were enough wild flowers in the garden, procuring those wouldn’t be a problem.

In addition to the easel, there was a sofa, a rocking chair, a desk with a chair and surprisingly a small piano. Sophie loved pianos even though she was doomed to fail at any and every musical venture she attempted. There was simply something very elegant about them that Sophie appreciated.

Markl had moved over to the desk and was inspecting it intently.

“Sophie?”

“Hmm?” she hummed absentmindedly.

“Do you think I could move my studies here? It would be a lot easier than doing them in my room.”

Sophie smiled at him gently “Of course dear, nothing speaks against it. I could keep you company here.” Markl beamed up at her and much to her surprise, threw his arms round her middle and pressed his face against her dress.

“I’m so glad you’re here Sophie.” The boy mumbled against the fabric. Sophie’s heart melted and she returned the embrace.

“I’m happy to be here too Markl.” And oddly enough Sophie realized that it was the truth. She could see herself staying here. There was a lot to do. Rooms to clean, secrets to snoop, a wizard to annoy.

For the first time in a long while, Sophie was excited about the future. She was looking forward to living, whereas she usually saw only death looming on the horizon of a life she had barely had the chance to live.

If she could cure the wizard Howl, then he could surely help her, he had to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might notice the somewhat angsty turn Sophie's thoughts take towards the end of the chapter, even though she is feeling happy. I personally thought that in both the book and the movie (especially the book though) this aspect wasn't really adressed. A young girl losing almost all of her life in an instant is something I thought would evoke darker thoughts and feelings. This is something I am going to explore further in this story.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know nothing of import really happened but this story is also a character exploration and I need Sophie to feel comfortable before thing really get going. *evil grin*


	8. In which Sophie decides Howl is a fish

Within the week the whole lower floor was inhabitable. Calcifer now had two hearths, one in the kitchen and one in the living room next to the art room. He and Sophie had fallen onto an easy cameradie that was filled with friendly banter.

Markl had taken to Sophie as the grandparent he had never had, with a manner that warmed Sophie to the core.

Sophie was feeling happier than she had in a long while. Until one day her body reminded her with force that she wasn’t quite as fit as she would like to be. Sophie woke up and was surprised by pain shooting down her back. _Not again!_ Was all Sophie could think as she heaved herself into a sitting position with a pained groan.

She remembered pushing heavy furniture around the living room with Markl the day prior and cursed herself for not being more careful. _Damnit Sophie stop acting like a sprightly teen! You can’t move like you used to. Accept it!_

Sophie’s eyes misted up as her mind filled with self-pity. Her body ached viciously and for once she did not know what to do.

She sniffed, wiped her eyes and berated herself for throwing a pity party. “Markl!” She called out in a slightly shaky voice. When the young boy didn’t respond she called more loudly “Markl!”

This time the apprentice heard and soon he was opening the door to Sophie’s room carefully. “What's up Sophie?”

“Markl, you wouldn’t happen to have a cane lying around somewhere?” Sophie sighed.

Bewildered by the request Markl peered at her more intently and inquired “What’s wrong Sophie?”

Her response was to smile at him reassuringly and say “I must have overexerted myself yesterday, dear. My back is a little achy so would you be a good boy and find me a cane?”

“Of course!” Markl replied immediately, a worried crease forming between his brows.

Once Markl had found her a cane Sophie began puttering around the house as usual, simply a lot slower. When Calcifer caught sight of her she could almost see the worry in his fiery face.

Before the fire demon could say anything Sophie simply said “It’s alright, Calcifer. This happens more often nowadays.”

Calcifer looked at Sophie unhappily and murmured something along the lines of being more careful. _What a dear_ Sophie thought, knowing that this was quite simply an inevitable part of the curse that had become her life.

Taking a deep breath Sophie squared her shoulders rather painfully and turned her gaze back to the hearth. “Calcifer, how long has that dratted wizard been sulking in his room? It is decidedly time to do some wizard snooping!” She cackled with some of her usual energy and stomped of towards the stairs that led to the upper floor.

Behind her Calcifer chuckled in his crackling voice and muttered gleefully: “Deal with this, Howl.”

The hallway was a disaster. As it had been the case with the lower level, everything was covered with spider webs and filth. _How does he live in this pigsty?_ Was all Sophie could think for the umpteenth time.

The first door Sophie tried opened up to a study that simultaneously functioned as a small library. There was a desk placed in front of a large window that looked upon the front of the castle. It was piled up high with books, quills, papers and other unidentifiable stuff.

The walls were lined with majestic bookshelves that reached up to the ceiling and in a corner of the room stood a table that was obviously something akin to a magical workbench.

To Sophie’s dismay everything was covered in thick dust. _When is the last time that Howl actually worked here?_  Sophie wondered absentmindedly.

First things first, Sophie hobbled over to the window and opened it, letting some much needed fresh air into the dusty room. As she turned around back to the door Sophie almost had a heart attack as she spotted the wizard Howl standing in the door to the hallway.

“Dear Lord! Do make some noise. You almost made my heart stop.” Sophie scolded, receiving only a glassy stare as a response. “Oh come now! Wipe that look off of your face boy, it makes you look like a fish!”

Howls eyes narrowed slightly at that, apparently not liking being compared to a marine inhabitant.

“What are you doing?” He said in a deep voice that made a shudder run down Sophie’s spine.

 _Don’t try to intimidate me you pesky fish face!_ Sophie thought angrily before cackling in her trademark evil way. “Snooping and cleaning my dear. They do tend to go hand in hand.” More cackling. “Don’t worry, I’ll get to your room soon enough. It’s probably a completely uninhabitable environment, considering the way the rest of this place looked before”

The wizard’s face became decidedly cloudier as he simply replied: “You will leave this place at once.”

To Sophie’s surprise she could feel some sort of compulsion try to take hold of her. _That damned bastard is trying to hex me!_ She realized indignantly. _Nobody gets to hex me out like a pesk!_

Sophie waved the hovering spell away like one would wave away a fly and said to the wizard in a bored tone: “Deary, do work on your spell work. It’s pathetic, even Markl could do better. And you haven’t even been teaching him.”

Sophie gloated gleefully as she saw the wizard’s completely bewildered expression. She stalked past him in the most superior way she could manage while leaning on her cane and laughed all the way down the stairs, calling to the wizard: “I’ll be back for cleaning tomorrow Howl, deary. Hide whatever you don’t want cleaned!”

A door banged shut loudly as a reply, satisfying Sophie greatly.

Downstairs Calcifer looked at Sophie curiously and laughed when she gave him thumbs up. The remainder of the day was spent knitting a sweater for Markl in the living room while Calcifer crackled away happily in the hearth.


	9. In which Sophie shows Howl who is the boss

Although the pain in her back only became marginally better over the course of the next few days Sophie didn’t let herself be deterred. She had a wizard to bully after all.

Within a few days the study was dust free and more organized making the whole room seem more comfortable and lived in. _Not that anyone actually works in here._ Sophie groused to herself. The object of her annoyance had initiated a merry game of hide and seek that Sophie considered to be a challenge. Whenever she frequented the second floor she would see the tip of a coat disappearing behind a door or other traitorous signs that the wizard was truly attempting to hide from her.

 _Can’t hide forever!_ Sophie would always think to herself when she didn’t make it up the stairs quite fast enough. What truly confounded the cleaning lady though was what Howl actually did all day inside of his ‘chamber of doom’ as she had dubbed it.

 _I would go batshit crazy stewing around in a dank hole all day._ Sophie thought to herself one day while cleaning the first floor bathroom. Her hair was held back with a handkerchief and she had tied her dress up at the sides to avoid getting it wet.

Having finished her work with a last flourish of her duster Sophie trundled back into the kitchen to stow away the cleaning utensils in a cupboard. Calcifer who was humming a happy tune from the kitchen hearth acknowledged her with a crackle of flames and continued sorting through the wood stored in a wicker basket for him to use.

Just as Sophie stowed the cleaning bucket away Markl entered the kitchen, a frown making a crease appear between his eyebrows.

“Sophie, I’m stuck on this passage here.” He stated gesturing with the open book he was carrying with him.

Sophie sighed. This wasn’t the first time Markl had had trouble with his studies. He was essentially teaching himself after all.

“Markl, I’m not a witch” This earned her a pointed look from both Calcifer and Markl which she in turn pointedly ignored.  “I really can’t help you. Maybe Calcifer can have a look at it.” The fire demon gave a non-committal grunt and continued moving his wood around with renewed fervor.

Markl’s frown grew deeper and he sighed deeply. “How am I ever supposed to become a real wizard?” The despair lacing his voice ignited the anger which had been constantly simmering within Sophie since she discovered just how much the wizard neglected his apprentice.

 _That’s enough._ Sophie though derisively. “Wait here and don’t come up no matter what you hear.” She ordered and proceeded to stomp up the stairs.

“Howl! Get out here this instant!” She shouted when she arrived at the top of the stairs. As expected she received no answer but enough was enough. Sophie’s patience had decidedly run out and in was time to shake some sense into Howl.

“You stinking Fishface! How long are you going to shirk your duties? You and Markl have a contract as wizard and apprentice and you have no right to deny him his education! I don’t care if you’re wallowing in self-pity, if you don’t get out of that stinking dump you call a room, I will not be responsible for the consequences!”

As she was shouting the hallway began groaning and Sophie felt an unseen force pulling her back towards the stairs.

“Ha!” The cleaning lady scoffed. “I already told you, you're decades too young to hex me if that’s all you got!”

Her only answer was a violent shove that would have knocked her over if she hadn’t been expecting it.

“Oh, so now we’re resorting to violence are we? Do you know what you are wizard Howl? You are a shame! A shame to the entire magical community! A shame to your apprentice, not to mention the fire demon that is in your services of its own free will. Honestly I don’t know what Calcifer is doing here. Fire demons are supposed to be attracted to powerful wizards, not fishfaced, pitiful idiots!”

The volume of the groaning increased. The plastered walls and wooden floor began cracking under the increasing pressure of magical power emanating from the wizards bedroom.

The power passed over Sophie harmlessly though, she had lived with a witch after all and had a few tricks up her sleeve. What truly angered her though was the wizard’s plain disregard towards the house. This building was safe and provided comfort to all of its inhabitants. She had noticed the house making an increased effort to stay clean after the initial cleaning and Sophie was extremely grateful. This majestic building did not deserve to be treated like a dump. Over the last few days Sophie had increasingly often begun speaking to the house. Either complimenting or encouraging it to stay as beautiful as it was. She took the warm cozy rooms and clean fresh smell as gratitude.

“Stop this instant! You will damage the house!” Suddenly a book came flying out of the study and hurtled straight towards her. It stopped shortly in front of her face and slowly floated to the floor. Sophie smiled. _You won’t let me get hurt will you? What a loyal house you are._

“You think you can turn the house against me? Ha! After the way you treated it? Dream on Fishface. Now if you’re quite done throwing a tantrum go downstairs and help Markl with his studies.” The smirk was obvious in Sophie’s voice. She could already smell victory.

When the wizard still didn’t appear from his room Sophie called: “Alright! Come on let’s get Fishface out of his room!”

A colorful curse could be heard from the wizard’s room, causing Sophie to cackle. Not a minute later a disheveled wizard was pulled out of his room by the dirty blanket that had no doubt been lying on his bed.

His face looked part furious part disbelieving as the blanket manhandled him down the hall, past Sophie who politely stepped out of the way and towards the stairs.

“This will have consequences!” The wizard growled in a deep voice, gruff from misuse. Sophie simply continued cackling and stepped smartly towards the Howls bedroom.

“Don’t you dare step foot in there!” The wizard shouted from the top of the stairs.

 _And who will stop me Howl deary?_ Sophie thought gleefully and entered the ‘chamber of doom’.   


	10. In which Sophie vanquishes slime

Howl’s room was… Let it suffice to say that Sophie’s expectations had been very low and for those expectations to be disappointed only hastened to show the wizards penchant for living in chaos. _Not even a curse could have caused this_ Sophie thought absentmindedly. The man must simply be a pig at heart.

The layout of the room itself was very beautiful with a big window looking out on the garden, filling the large space with a dim glow.

Sophie shuddered at the slimy windows that blocked further illumination. The biggest piece of furniture was a king-sized bed that was filled up with dirty clothes random clutter and simply covered in a general layer of filth as the rest of the room was too. _How does he sleep on that thing?_ Sophie wondered disgustedly.

To her surprise there was an amalgam of pretty baubles located in random places around the room. Some crystalline objects lying next to the bed and odd jewelry peeking out from a big oak closet. _If he put an ounce of effort into the whole affair this room could be quite beautiful._

It took Sophie some more minutes of snooping and critical assessing to notice it. Something about the room was unusually oppressing. An aura that seeming to cling to you like accidentally walking into a spider web. Immediately on high-alert Sophie began sweeping the room for sign of a curse or hex of some kind.

To her horror Sophie located what she suspected to be the source after some intent looking. It was a thin layer of slime that seemed to cover big parts of the room. It was mainly concentrated on the bed but there were odd blobs here and there. On one wall Sophie even thought she could make out a slime blob in the form of a handprint. She shuddered in horror at the sight.

 _What in heaven’s name is this stuff?_ Sophie wondered as she approached one of the blobs closest to her, located on a majestic looking beside table.

The slime was suspiciously hard to make out, almost as if something was blurring your vision the closer you tried to look at it. _They must be vestiges of the curse that clings to Howl_ Sophie deducted. Seeing as most of the slime clung to the bed it only made sense.

Carefully Sophie reached out with a hand and touched the blob which she had been scrutinizing. It shuddered, hissed and then began shrinking. With a surprised yelp Sophie pulled her hand back and immediately the blob stopped moving and rested innocently, as innocent as a scary curse blob could, on the table.

More cautiously Sophie put her finger back onto the blob and this time when it hissed and sputtered she kept contact until it disappeared completely. “Well, would you look at that.” The old lady muttered to herself.

Encouraged by her success she touched blob after blob until the little bedside table was free of slime. Satisfied by this Sophie nodded to herself and said confidently “You won’t be clinging to Howl much longer you disgusting slime curse!”  The slime seemed to intensify it aura which only made Sophie grin and cackle. _It’s trying to intimidate me!_ She realized gleefully. Well this slime was in for it because honestly what had ever stopped Sophie before?

So Sophie proceeded to do what Sophie did best, she fetched her cleaning utensils from the kitchen, noticing the absence of both the wizard and his apprentice, stomped back up the stairs and began cleaning.

It took her most of the day to reach a cleanliness level that satisfied her. When she was done the windows were clean, the floor visible and the general filth had been vanquished. The baubles were placed on shelves or hung from the ceiling where they could catch the light and the bed was clean with a fresh set of sheets smelling pleasantly of flowers, which the hardworking house was to thank for.

Sophie had rooted out all the slime she could find even if it meant crawling under the bed and rummaging through the closet, which none to Sophie’s surprise was filled with flashy, extravagant clothing. _He’s got to catch those girls somehow if not with his fishface_ she thought.

Tired and mysteriously drained of energy Sophie gathered up her things and hobbled down the stairs with only one mission remaining for the day: clean the dratted wizard.

Said wizard was sitting in the kitchen glumly staring at the wall. Upon seeing Sophie he got up and tried to flee from the cleaning lady but Sophie was having nothing of it.

“You stay right where you are!” She barked at him and proceeded to put way her cleaning utilities. The disgruntled wizard froze in an awkward half sitting half standing position and finally began sitting down again when Sophie unleashed her glare of hell, which she practiced frequently and immensely enjoyed using, on him.

“What is it now? Haven’t you had your fun for today?” The wizard rasped rather petulantly while looking pointedly away.

“Did you help Markl understand the passage in the book?” Sophie asked sharply. The wizard nodded haughtily as if he had wasted his precious time. _That you would have spent soaking in curse slime otherwise_ Sophie snorted in her head, not in the least impressed.

“Well, then only one thing left to do.” She stated simply and advances upon the wizard. Who in turn jumped up from his chair and began backing away slowly.

Ignoring his evasive action Sophie simply stepped smartly up to the wizard and threw her arms around his middle. This was obviously not what Howl had been expecting.

“What do you think you are doing?” He asked clearly shocked but Sophie simply shushed him and listened to the slime, which she could now discern covered the man from head to toe, hissing as it disappeared where she touched him.

After a few seconds she stepped back, wrangled the uncooperative man into a chair and bean wiping of his face and head.

As she caressed his cheeks and forehead with an intent expression on her face Howl simply stared at her in shock.

After a finishing pat on the head Sophie stepped back and admired her handiwork. “There we go!” She stated smiling. Without explaining a single word she trod of with a happy spring in her step leaving behind Howl who first stared at her retreating figure and then at Calcifer who had been crackling away in the hearth in complete confusion and disbelief, before getting up and dazedly walking up the stairs.

Calcifer who had been left alone in the kitchen laughed to himself in glee at what had happened even though he didn’t quite understand it and muttered to himself. “Oh Howl, you have no idea what you’re in for.”


	11. In which Sophie creates a wool storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the long break. I was unfortunately very busy moving for the last month. I hope you enjoy the chapter! ^^

Over the next few weeks change came upon the castle on the hill. Sophie became a full time slime cleaner, now that she could see it, and went around the house every day looking for the nasty stuff. To her annoyance it tended to get stuck in rather annoying places like the upper corner of a drawer or behind the toilet.

Howl was now regularly making appearances to give Markl magic lessons and upon further bullying by a certain someone, began working again. It was surprising how many people were in need of spells or enchanted items nowadays.

Still he remained in a rather glum mood but as Calcifer always assured Sophie, he looked a lot better than before. And he did. Sophie watched as the wizard regained some color to his skin and even his hair seemed to shine healthily. Although Sophie strongly suspected that his ever lengthening bathroom times correlated to this.

On the days where Sophie found the house in need of no cleaning, which were becoming ever more frequent, she pursued her hobbies.

Markl now found himself in possession of a rather impressive collection of knit sweaters, socks and scarves.

After procuring supplies Sophie had also started drawing and painting again and one or the other panting could be found adorning the houses walls, without anybody really knowing how it got there. Sophie simply assumed that the castle liked art.

Yet with the appearance of a semblance of normalcy in everyone’s lives, Sophie began to become slightly bored. She had cleaned most of the house and it kept itself in order so she rarely had to spend any length of time cleaning anymore. Markl was busy studying magic and Calcifer seemed content to run the castle from his hearth. Even Howl was no fun to bully anymore since he either avoided her, or did everything that was within his allotment of chores.

_Be happy with what you have!_ Sophie scolded herself as she sat knitting while Markl poured over a thick tome. Sophie was knitting a blanket with an intricate pattern with the hopes of hindering her boredom. She was in a rather glum mood, had in fact been for a few days and it was starting to annoy her.

_Everything is fine! The house is clean, Markl is studying and even Howl is being less of a fishface than usual. Stop moping!_ The speed of her kitting increased with her agitation. _Damnation, you finally found a place you want to stay and all you do is grumble and whine just because there is nothing exciting to do. What can you do anyhow? With this wretched body of yours any amount of excitement would end up killing you anyhow!_

With an angry huff Sophie threw her work onto the floor and got up. “Are you ok, Sophie?” Markl asked when she stomped towards the door. “Fine, I’m just getting some water” she snapped at him, regretting it immediately since it wasn’t his fault she was angry.

Once in the kitchen Sophie got herself a glass of water and drank it while scowling at the wall. “What did Howl do this time?” Calcifer inquired from the hearth. “Nothing! He didn’t do bloody anything!” Sophie exclaimed angrily.

Calcifer stayed quiet having learned by experience not to antagonize the lady when she was already in this kind of a mood.

After a few moments of silence a panicked voice shouted from the hallway. “Sophie! Sophie! Come here, quick!” Reacting to the tone of urgency in Markl’s voice Sophie set down the glass and hurried over to see what the problem was.

When the boy came into view Sophie paused perplexed. He seemed to be struggling to free himself from a tangle of wool that had wrapped itself around his arms and legs. _What in the world?_ She wondered as she continued towards him.

Markl struggled further and when he saw Sophie approaching he exclaimed “Sophie! Your knitting spell is out of control! Make it stop!” And true to his word the wool that had entangled Markl led back into the living room where her knitting needles were floating in the air furiously knitting and simultaneously spreading wool everywhere.

It would have been hilarious if the wool hadn’t been making a terrible mess of the whole room. Sophie stood up straighter and commanded “Stop it, right now!”

To her surprise nothing happened. The needles continued furiously knitting away and the hurricane of wool continued spreading.

“Cease this instant!” she tried again but as before her barked command didn’t elicit any kind of reaction.

Sophie looked at Markl in a panic. “It won’t stop, Markl!” The apprentice seemed at a loss of what to do himself. He had managed to free his arms and now busied himself untangling his legs. “Ask Calcifer, he will know what to do.”

She nodded and went back to the kitchen. “Calcifer! My knitting has gone berserk! It won’t stop even if I tell it to!”

Calcifer looked at her, disbelieve coloring his flame green. “Why did you hex your knitting needles?”

“I didn’t!” Sophie wailed. She had only thrown them down, somehow the blasted things must have thought she wanted them to continue. _Blast it all! Why does this always happen to me?”_ Sophie despaired.

“Calcifer, what should I do?” Sophie asked him frantically. The fire demon held his little fire arms in the air and answered “How should I know? I’m not a wizard.” Sophie wailed in frustration and ran back to check on Markl who had now managed to free himself completely and was silently looking at the knitting storm of doom that was raging on in the living room.

“I don’t know what to do.” Sophie admitted dejectedly. Markl looked at her helplessly and said in a small voice “Maybe Master Howl can help?” Sophie’s face twisted into a grimace. She felt reluctant to admit weakness towards the wizard.

Suddenly a tendril of wool whipped out of the living room and wrapped around Sophie’s ankle.

“Argh!” she exclaimed as she stumbled backwards. Markl immediately moved to steady her by grabbing her left arm. It was to no avail though, as the wool continued entangling Sophie’s leg.

“Howl!” Sophie shouted in a panic. “Master Howl!” Markl added frantically as he tried to keep Sophie upright while also attempting to unwrap her leg.

When nothing happened after a few more seconds Sophie finally toppled over after a particularly vicious yank from the tendril of wool. “Ow! Howl! Get down here this instant!” She bellowed, not in the mood to be harassed any longer.

The wizard came down the stairs at a leisurely pace and approached the chaos that had begun to spill into the hall.

He stopped short when he saw Sophie lying on the floor with Markl tearing furiously at her leg. He paused and promptly began laughing.

Both Sophie and Markl stared at the wizard in slack jawed wonder. He had a deep laugh that emitted from him in throaty chuckles.

After amusing himself for a few more seconds Howl waved his hand at the wool storm and just like that, it dropped. Sophie looked between Howl and the big pile of wool that now rested on the floor in a disorderly heap.

“How did you do that?”

“I guess I worked on my spell work, Sophie dear, maybe you should try it.” He smirked, turned around and left. Leaving a, for once in her life, speechless Sophie behind.


	12. In which Sophie gets a new project

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the long time it took me to update. Please enjoy!

After the wool fiasco Sophie decided to abstain from further knitting, which left in her in a bind. Aside from painting, cleaning and cooking there was not a lot to do. The blasted quilt had been an attempt to alleviate her boredom but even that was not an option anymore.

Now the witch sat at the kitchen table sighing repeatedly in to her hands.

Calcifer eyed her a little nervously, not wanting to cause another magical disaster. As much as he liked and admired the lady she simply had a penchant for crazy.

Another sigh gusted through the air when suddenly a cupboard clattered open and a pot fell out. Sophie barely glanced over.

“I don’t feel like cooking.” She groused simply. The pot floated back to its designated place a little dejectedly. Even the castle had no idea how to get its favorite person out of her glum mood.

A few minutes passed. “Arrrrrgh!” Sophie shouted. “I am so bored!” She got up and began pacing around in agitation. Muttering to herself all the while. “Nothing to do. Bloody house runs itself. Maybe it’s time to move on.” More pacing. “No, no, no. Howl still has some slime issues sometimes. Can’t just leave Markl with Fishface. No parenting skills whatsoever.”

In her distraction Sophie didn’t notice Markl, who had heard her initial outburst, approach the kitchen.

 

 

“Has she gone nutty?” The apprentice asked Calcifer quietly. The demon gave the boy a pointed look “Not sure how she could go any nuttier to be honest.” Markl grinned at this. Sophie might be a little crazy and out of control but that was simply a part of her that he loved along with all the rest.

“I believe she is wondering if she should leave.”

Markl froze at that. “What?” He asked looking at the demon with wide eyes. “No she can’t leave! She’s part of our family.”

The last part was whispered quietly. Markl had never experienced the joy of a true family. And the recent weeks had been some of the happiest in his life. Sure it was a little annoying when Sophie and Howl tried to secretly hex each other at breakfast and he got caught in the crossfire but all the banter aside, Sophie had brought the household together in a way that Markl would not give up for his life.

Sure Howl wasn’t back to his old self but it was still better that before. Markl got to watch the wizard work now, which was a truly humbling experience. Howl would sit in his office and seemingly at random slap spells together that would have taken Markl weeks to finish.

Markl now got proper homework and whenever Howl had to leave the castle on a job he invited the apprentice along.

Markl snapped out of his reverie and decided that he had to make sure Sophie would stay. He had noticed her rising irritation lately and assumed it was caused by the lack of excitement in her life recently. _She is a special type of crazy after all._ He mused fondly.

In the mean time Sophie had sat back down at the kitchen table and proceeded to stare at the wall dejectedly. With renewed purpose Markl crossed the kitchen and headed upstairs to Howl’s office where he found the wizard leaning over a spell that the baker from Market Chipping had commissioned. Something to keep his bread fresh if the apprentice remembered correctly.

“Master Howl?” The boy inquired hesitantly.

The wizards green eyes snapped up and caught Markl in their glassy gaze.

Taking this as permission to interrupt he continued. “It’s about Sophie.” This made the wizard turn towards Markl fully.

“What did she do this time?” Howl asked with what Markl dare to interpret as an amused huff.

“Nothing sir, that’s it. Calcifer overheard her considering leaving, and I, um I suppose we can’t really stop her, but um, I think she just needs something to do. She does seem awfully bored lately so, uh I was thinking, you might um…” Markl drifted off a little unsure how to continue his little speech.

“She needs something to stick her long nose into.” The wizard replied a strange light entering his eyes.

“Exactly!” Markl exclaimed. “Master Howl I really don’t want her to leave. I know she annoys you sometimes, but she did save you!”

Howl sniffed at that. The woman had simply bullied him out of his complacency.

To Markl’s relief the wizard got up and headed out the door.

 

 

After staring at the wall became too much of a bore, Sophie took a rag and pointlessly began scrubbing at the already immaculate table.

“Don’t curse the table Sophie, dear.” Sophie squealed in surprise and spun around to see a smug looking wizard standing behind her.

“Don’t do that Howl! You nearly gave me a heart attack.” And indeed Sophie’s heart thumped a little irregularly in her chest. She rubbed the area above the traitorous organ angrily. The wizard seemed to notice her discomfort and tugged her hand away to place his own hand where Sophie’s had been rubbing.

Something akin to a shock emitted from his palm and Sophie’s heart calmed.

“Hey! What was that?” Sophie exclaimed as she jerked away. Howl just looked at her, shrugged and walked away calling over his shoulder “Come along, Sophie, I have something for you.”

Curious Sophie followed the wizard out into the garden, where he turned around to face her. Absentmindedly she reached up to brush some slime off of Howls shoulder as he began to speak.

“I found some old spells lying around and I would like you to test them, if you feel up for it.” This sparked Sophie’s curiosity more than ever. The sparkle returned to her eyes as she inquired “What kind of spells?”

Seeming satisfied by her reaction Howl continued. “They are gardening spells. That is about as much as I remember. You will have to experiment on your own. Do be careful though, I think there was a weed-killer in there somewhere. Go get some buckets and I will prepare here.”

Sophie laughed with glee. _Oh, what fun!_ She thought as she rushed inside to get some buckets as Howl had instructed her.

When she returned outside the wizard has conjured up a workbench out of thin air and placed it close to the house so that it wouldn’t get wet, should it rain. It was full of gardening utensils as well as metal containers of different sizes.

Sophie handed the buckets to the wizard who then filled them with earth with a snap of his fingers. Excitedly Sophie began looking through the little envelopes that contained the old spells Howl had been talking about, which he had placed on the workbench.

Sophie beamed, looking first at her new project and then at the wizard standing beside her.

“Not bad for a Fishface.” She said still grinning.

And if her lush red hair fell in her face, Sophie did not notice.  


	13. In which Howl gives Sophie hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody! Many thanks to all of the wonderful people who encouranged me to continue. I've had a rather unfortunate streak of bad luck lately which is partly why I haven't updated for so long. I will most certainly continue this fic, I love it too much to discontinue ;) 
> 
> At the beginning of this chapter we have somewhat of a time skip. In this time Howl begins to revert back to the behaviour we know from the book. Not quite as strong but just so that you guys have an idea what he is like. I will show his development in later chapters but for now just keep this in mind as you read :)
> 
> Enjoy!

Even with Howl and Markl pitching in now and again it took Sophie a long time to turn the overgrown garden into the paradise that she pictured in her head.

Paths had to be made, a large portion of the wildflowers had to be cut back and so on and so forth. On Howl’s request Sophie made a herb garden where magical plants, as well as everyday kitchen herbs now grew.

The area in front of the terrace was converted into a lawn, where Sophie would hang up the laundry while Markl lounged about on sunny days.

In the time that passed Howl’s business picked up too. Especially after Sophie created an advertisement that was placed in the small Market Chipping newspaper, new customers flowed in and soon word spread about an exceptionally talented wizard who lived in a magical castle.

The rumors of horrible Howl slowly faded as Mr. Pendragon (Howl’s alias while working) became more and more popular, much to Howl’s annoyance at all of the attention.

Sophie was generally happy about this development since it meant that the household now had a steady income and Markl got to accompany Howl on the more exotic jobs that took the wizard further away from home.

She would never forget the wide smile that adorned the young apprentices’ face for days after a customer asked Howl to come to the capital.

“It was amazing Sophie! Have you ever been to the capital? The buildings were so big! And the ladies were wearing funny hats!”  He gushed and gesticulated wildly to demonstrate his point.

Sophie would nod and listen to the excited boy, making noises of amazement at the appropriate moments.

In truth Sophie often felt terribly lonely when the wizard took Markl along. _This is silly! You’ve been alone for 10 years._ She reprimanded herself but the deep pit in her stomach would always reappear when her two boys stepped out of the door.

Calcifer usually noticed when Sophie’s mood took a turn for the worse and would try to cheer her up with moderate success. Sophie was very grateful to have a good friend like Calcifer but the house still seemed terrible empty to her.

On the upside Howl’s condition seemed to steadily improve with time. More often than not the extravagant, young man Howl was at heart shone through to the relief of the other occupants of the house.

When Sophie asked Calcifer one day if the curse was lifted the fire demon answered with hope “Almost there! We now see more of the real Howl because the curse is very weak. I’m not sure why but it hasn’t broken completely yet, but don’t worry Sophie! It’s only a matter of time now!”

After this conversation Sophie watched the wizard a little more closely and indeed there was still some of the eerie blankness left in Howl’s eyes, that made them look like marbles.

This frustrated her greatly since she thought the solution had been removing the slime.

Sophie was pondering this one day while sitting in the kitchen, absentmindedly doodling on a sheet of paper when a message appeared on her paper in an elegant script.

Would you join me in the office for a moment?

-Howl

Curious, Sophie got up and made her way upstairs. Even though the wizard had warmed up considerably towards her he still seemed to be wary of her. Not wary enough to stop nagging and behaving like a spoiled prince but there was still a distance between them that Sophie found very hard to bridge.

Sophie secretly thought it was the slime removal routine that she had forced upon him that made him uncomfortable. _Who would want to be hugged by a wrinkled old lady anyhow?_ She thought glumly.

The office was unlocked so Sophie stepped right in and looked around. Howl was standing in front of his desk, looking out of the window into the garden below. He didn’t turn around when Sophie entered so she assumed he was chasing some thought or the other in his head.

She shuffled over to an armchair and sat down with a huff. Her backache had become steadily worse and nowadays she tried to avoid standing for too long.

At Howl’s continued silence Sophie’s attention drifted off and she watched dust moats floating around in the sun beams that came in through the window.

“Sophie.” Howl’s voice startled her out of her reverie.

“What can I do for you, Howl?”  Sophie asked a little hesitantly. Howl seemed to be in a somber mood unlike his recently more lifted spirits and she wasn’t quite what had caused it.

“How old are you, Sophie?”

Stunned at the topic, Sophie exclaimed “What a rude question!” The wizard looked at her imploringly and Sophie was stunned by the depth that she saw in his eyes at that exact moment.

She took a few moments before answering tentatively. “Well…” Sophie had to deliberate for a second. She didn’t know exactly how many years the curse had aged her but she always assumed it had to be around 50 years give or take. Doing the math in her head she answered “I’m close to 80.”

The wizard’s eyes were still fixed intently on her, making Sophie feel a little uncomfortable.

“When were you cursed?”

Sophie’s gaze snapped up from where she had been looking at the floor to meet Howl’s. _He noticed! He noticed!_ Sophie’s mind crowed with joy. When Howl had failed to mention the curse after all of this time she had started to worry.

After all she had seen first-hand that the man was a genius when it came to magic. If Howl couldn’t break her curse, nobody could.

“About ten years ago.” Sophie supplied readily.

“How old are you, Sophie?”

Confused at the repetition Sophie began reiterating.

“I’m close to…”,

“No, Sophie. I mean how old are you, really?”

Comprehension dawned upon Sophie. She averted her eyes and sighed.

“I don’t really see how it matters, Howl.” _I don’t want to see the pity in his eyes._ Sophie thought sadly.

“Sophie. Sophie, look at me.” Howl approached her and knelt down in front of the armchair in which she had situated herself.

When she continued to avoid his gaze, Howl reached out and gently took her wrinkly hands into his smooth ones. Surprised, Sophie looked at him and fell into the warmth of his eyes.

“Please, Sophie.” He tilted his head just so.

The witch’s heart began thumping loudly in her chest and a flush stole across her cheeks. Sophie suddenly felt sympathy for every girl Howl had ever wooed. _When he turns up the charm… Phew!_

“I’m twenty-seven.” She breathed, incapable of speaking louder.

Howl sucked in a surprised breath. “You were seventeen when you were cursed?” His voice sounded pained.

“Yes.” Sophie admitted.

“Why?”

She sighed. “It’s a stupid story really. A man fancied me.”

Howl’s eyebrow rose almost incredulously.

“Hey! I wasn’t too bad when I was young!” Sophie defended herself with a huff. “Anyhow this man fancied me and announced to everybody that he would get me to marry him once I was of age.

Unfortunately for me a witch was in love with the man and didn’t take kindly to me `stealing´ her love. She came to the shop one evening and cursed me. Asked me how I would like being old enough to marry. Well, here we are. I couldn’t stay at home the way I was, so I ran away. I’ve been traveling ever since.”

During her tale Sophie’s hands had started to shake, inciting the wizard to stroke his thumb slowly over the back of her hand.

Sophie’s eyes began to water and she quickly turned her head, embarrassed to be in such a state in front of Howl.

He retaliated by squeezing her hands to catch her attention again.

“Sophie,I promise you that I will do everything in my power to lift your curse.”

Unbeknownst to the witch, as she smiled through her tears, her wrinkles faded away and her hair became lush and red.

“You have such a kind heart underneath all of the fronts you put up, Howl. Don’t lose that. A heart may be a heavy burden but it is also your greatest treasure.”

Sophie took her hands out of Howls, got up and slapped her face. “Alright! Enough blubbering. Dinner isn’t going to make itself.” While heading to the door she threw over her shoulder “By the way Howl, the same thing counts for you! I’ll break that pesky curse on you.”

She cackled at the stunned look on the wizard’s face and skipped down the stairs.


End file.
